DFW Airport Traveler Says Tram Was Too Crowded For Pandemic: 'That Was Very Disconcerting'
DFW AIRPORT (CBSDFW.COM) - The holiday travel season will soon be upon us, even with COVID-19 numbers rising in many parts of the country.
But already, some DFW Airport travelers are worried about overcrowding - not on the planes, but inside the airport.
"People were just pouring onto the tram with no social distancing," said frequent traveler Andy Schwabe about his recent experience on DFW Airport's Skylink. "I was horrified to see that there was no monitoring of people getting onto the tram. That was very disconcerting."
Nor, he said, was there an attempt to social distance - despite DFW Airport's position as a major national hub.
"It occurred to me that, given that people were coming from all parts of the United States passing through DFW, that this could potentially be a super spreader event," he said.
The Skylink can transport approximately 5,000 passengers per direction per hour.
But some travelers said just because it can doesn't mean it should.
Other travelers acknowledge the crowds but say they're not concerned.
"Me, I personally don't let it bother me," said traveler Wayne Fry. "I wear my mask, try to keep my distance as best I can, but you've got to keep living."
DFW Airport said it encourages everyone to follow CDC guidelines for social distancing but said six feet can be difficult in some places.
It said, "To mitigate this, properly wearing face coverings at all DFW Airport facilities is mandatory, including on Skylink... The Skylink trains run every 2-to-4 minutes providing customers flexibility if a train appears crowded."
But to travelers like Schwabe, that's not enough.
"You'd better create new models of how you're going to operate so that you can maintain safety procedures, because that was ridiculous," he said.
DFW Airport also said it has elevated its cleaning and sanitization procedures, helping it to become the first airport in the world to earn the Star accreditation from GBAC, a division of the Worldwide Industry Cleaning Association.
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